Fit to Try
by Kagen Brown
Summary: Continuation of Fit to Burst. Two years later, Saren and Cira meet again. How will things go this time? SarenXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Ok So here's the first chapter of Fit to try. This story takes place about two years after Fit to Burst. For all of the readers who liked my first story, I really hope you like this one too. I know the whole Spectre training thing isn't very original but bear with me.**

It was troublesome, but it was one of his many duties as a Spectre. Every few years Saren was required to take on a student and teach them the skills they would need to make good Spectres themselves. At the end of their training, if Saren deemed them worthy of the title, the council would consider adding them to the ranks of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance team. The last student that Saren had been in charge of had been Nihlus. From the beginning, the young turian had seemed to be a promising candidate and when Saren gave him a chance to prove himself; he preformed beyond expectations. A good word from Saren was all it had taken for Nihlus to be accepted as a fully fledged Spectre. Now Saren had to report to the Citadel to pick out his next pupil.

As soon as he had docked his ship, he was off; walking briskly to the elevator that would take him to the embassies. When the doors opened, he headed straight to the council's meeting area. The only being present was the Asari Councilor. She glanced up at him before turning her attention back to whatever she was working on.

"Spectre Arterius, you're early. The students were told to gather here at 1200. I'm afraid you'll have to wait until then."

He didn't bother to reply but headed back to the elevator, taking it down to the presidium. He had an hour to wait and he might as well eat something. He passed by shops selling all kinds of merchandise, purchasing a few weapon mods that caught his eye. The presidium markets did not often have anything of use to him but every once in a while, he would find something worth the credits. He finally reached the area of the Citadel that had all of the best restaurants. He picked one at random and entered. There weren't many customers but that didn't matter to him. He scanned the room; a turian was sitting in the far corner with his arm around his Asari companion. She looked like she would rather bathe in acid than be stuck with him for another moment. There were also a couple more Turians and Asari and even a few Salarians as well. There was only one human; a young woman with long blonde hair. Saren couldn't see her face from his current position but he was positive that it was her.

Cira.

She hadn't noticed him yet and he wanted to keep it that way. He picked a table that was mostly covered in shadow. When the waitress came up to him, he quickly ordered the first item off of the menu and sent her on her way. She returned a few minutes later with his meal and he absently began eating while studying Cira.

She seemed tired, physically and mentally. She had her head resting in her hand and was staring blankly out the window. A plate of something that Saren recognized as Salarian food, sat untouched before her. She didn't look any thinner than she had the last time he had seen her meaning she had been eating normally so why wasn't she eating now? Nervous maybe; of what? It was obvious that the last two years hadn't been kind to her. Had she gotten into some kind of trouble? Saren had the urge to go over and ask her but he kept himself seated. It was probably better for her not to know that he was here. He finished the rest of his meal quickly, leaving the money on the table before exiting the restaurant.

* * *

He spent the last 30 minutes sitting on a bench in the embassies pretending to read a data pad, when really, his mind was trying to find an explanation for Cira's current state. She was more than just tired. She had looked crestfallen and, for reasons that eluded him, he wanted to know why. By the 1200, he had come up with over a thousand theories but he would never know for sure unless he just asked her. But right now he had to go pick a student. When he reached the meeting place, he saw that the trainees were being lined up along a wall. There were twelve pupils to choose from but only six Spectres got to pick. It was the council's way of getting only the most skilled Spectres. If a student wasn't picked, than they weren't worth the time it would take to train them; at least that was the idea. Only two other Spectres were present. They were already going over the students' files. They contained everything the Spectres would need to know to properly train their pupils. Saren preferred to look at the students first.

He scanned the line slowly. There were Turians and Asari mostly, but a few Salarians were there as well. There was only one human. The same human he had observed only an hour ago. The same blonde hair and sad blue eyes. She noticed him then, those sapphire orbs locking onto him with an intense concentration. He felt himself being drawn in against his will. The urge to wrap his arms around her and comfort her overwhelmed him. He stepped toward her, unable to tear his gaze away. Cira just kept staring at him, not moving at all; so unnaturally still…

Saren blinked. Glancing around himself, he realized that he hadn't actually moved. He examined Cira again. She wasn't looking at him anymore and he wasn't sure if she really had noticed him. She was staring straight ahead, not really seeing anything and her eyes were brown again. _What was that?_

He pushed the incident to the back of his mind. Maybe he would ask Cira if she knew anything about it. He stepped up to the line of students and examined them one by one. They all stayed perfectly still like trained Varren. None of them stood out like Nihlus had. Finally he reached Cira. She glanced up at him quickly; allowing herself a small smirk then wiped her face clean of emotion and resumed staring at the opposite wall. She was dying to make some sarcastic remark, just to upset Saren. She could use a little fun but she had to behave for now. Saren picked up his copy of the student files and began to read through them. Like before, nothing really stood out and there was only one thing in Cira's file that he didn't already know. It was something about her parents going missing when she was fourteen. That didn't matter to him at the moment.

The rest of the Spectres had arrived and had done their own examinations. Now they had to choose which of the students they wanted. If more than one Spectre wanted the same pupil, the council decided who got them. Saren would be the last to pick. By the time it was his turn, there were two Salarians, three Turians, one Asari and Cira left. It was still the popular opinion that Humanity wasn't ready for the responsibility of having a council seat or being given the title of Spectre so no one even wanted to bother with Cira. Saren knew that he shouldn't pick her either. She would probably yell at him later; if she could find him. But there just weren't any other candidates that he wanted to spend time on. He looked over them again.

There were the Salarians. One looked like he would bolt once things got to tough (how he got nominated for the Spectres, Saren had no idea), and the other looked like a typical soldier; ready to follow orders, but not quite ready to lead.

_Cira would be better. Don't pick her._

Next was the Asari. She looked a little angry. Probably because no one had picked her yet. Saren guessed that she was probably the type who thought she deserved to be a Spectre. Those kind never turned out good.

_Cira would be better but don't pick her._

Then there were the Turians. They would probably be the easiest for Saren to train, but he was never one to take the easy way unless it made sense to.

_It does make sense. No one thinks that humanity is ready to be a part of the Spectres so picking a Turian would be better for me._

_Since when do you care what others think?_

_She was so annoying._

_Yet you had such inappropriate dreams about her._

_I was disgusted by them._

_You're just denying your feelings._

_I can't let feelings get in the way of making the right decision._

_Cira is the right decision, feelings of no feelings._

_Don't pick her._

_Do pick her._

_Shut up._

"Cira."

It took him a moment to realize that it was his own voice he had heard. The other Spectres glanced at him curiously but remained silent. Cira took a step forward so she stood with the five others that had been chosen. The rest were dismissed, leaving the mentors alone to speak with their new pupils. Saren motioned for Cira to follow him to the far side of the room, where the others couldn't hear them.

"It took you forever to choose. For a second I thought you were going to pick someone else." She leaned against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest.

Saren growled at her. "I'll be clear. This will not be like before. You will obey any and all orders I give you. If you act up, I will drop you at the nearest port and you can catch a ride back here. Understand."

She just smirked, stood up straight and began walking away from him.

"Saren, if you wanted someone who would just follow orders, you would have been better off picking one of the Turians."

That was true. Saren had known what he was getting himself into. He sighed as Cira stepped into the elevator and disappeared. Saren was about to go press the call button to bring it back up when he sensed someone behind him. He turned around, and came face to face with the Turian Councilor.

"Spectre Arterius, could I have a moment."

"Yes Councilor?"

"As you know, humanity's situation in this galaxy is…delicate. Most still agree that they are not yet ready to be a part of the Spectres. I don't know why you picked that human woman, but you can't pass her through training. Humans need to learn that they can't talk their way into everything."

Saren scowled at him. "Councilor, as annoying as I find training candidates, it is still something that I take seriously. I will judge Cira based on her skills, not her species. Now if you'll excuse me."

He made his way to the elevator and took it down to the docking bay.

* * *

He didn't have to wait long for Cira to show up. She had gone back to her apartment to pack a few things; clothes, food, and prototypes of the latest technology for her to work on when she had time. When she boarded the ship, she went immediately to the cargo bay and rebuilt her living space. There weren't as many crates as there had been before, But Cira was able to push them together to create a little nook where she could work and sleep. As she was doing this, she heard the doors slide open behind her. Saren strode in, eyeing the makeshift bed. He leaned against the wall, right next to the airlock door.

"So, Spectres?"

She climbed onto her bed and sat facing him, a small smile, pulling at the edges of her lips.

"Yep. Not really my thing but apparently Spectres are allowed to access otherwise restricted information. That's the only reason I agreed to this."

"You're looking for something?"

She sighed and glanced around the room as if avoiding meeting his gaze would make him drop the subject. It was a false hope. Saren waited patiently for her to answer.

"I've been looking for information on my parents. They disappeared about five years ago and they haven't been heard from since."

He knew that she didn't want to talk about it and he wasn't really interested in her life story so he didn't push her.

"You need to go through training before you can become a Spectre. Depending on how you perform, I will either pass or fail you. In the end the end, the council decides whether you are worthy of the title; meaning even if I pass you, they can reject you and vice versa."

Cira nodded her understanding but remained quiet so Saren decided to let her be. He left the cargo bay and sat down at the ship's controls to do what he did best; go over the details of the various missions he had to choose from.

"Liam, head to the Brilack Training Facility."

It was a special training ground for Spectres. There were three of these facilities in the galaxy. He would start Cira's training there. He didn't know if she was Spectre material but he was going to find out.

**As always, reviews are welcome. If you have any suggestions, you can PM me or leave it in a review. Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 of Fit to Try. Training begins for our Turian Spectre and his underqualified pupil.**

"How long will we be here?"

Cira watched Saren as he unpacked a bag, placing his belongings in a neat row on top of a dresser. They had arrived at the Brilack training facility only a few minutes ago and Saren had led her directly to the living quarters. There were twenty rooms in the facility for the spectres that came to train, and any students they might bring. Saren had claimed room 15 and Cira would be staying in 16. At the moment, she was perched on the end of Saren's bed, waiting for him to finish checking his belongings so she could convince him to give her a tour.

"We'll be here as long as we need to be."

"And that depends on…?"

"On how skilled you are. My guess would be about six months. I need to know that you won't get yourself killed if I take you on a mission."

Cira rolled her eyes. "I've already gone on missions with you and I'm still alive. So why are we here again?"

Saren's mandibles twitched with mild annoyance. He didn't like her sarcastic comments but he had chosen her as his student, so he would try to put up with her as best he could.

"You were only ever in direct combat once on your missions with me. And that one time, the enemy wasn't aware of your presence until it was too late. That is the ideal circumstance, but not every combat situation will be as easy. A good example would be when you were back at the academy. The Asari Mercenaries did not know that you were alive until you busted their eardrums and shot them, but when they found you, you didn't stand a chance. Your victory depended on getting one of your gadgets to play over the school's speaker system. But had that plan failed, you would have died along with the rest of your classmates."

Cira remained quiet, considering his statement. It was true that she wasn't very skilled when it came to close combat. In fact she was almost barred from becoming a Spectre trainee because of that. Ambassador Udina had fought hard to make sure she had a shot. He played on her tech skills and her reputation on the Citadel. In the two years she had lived there, she had become well known being the only student to survive the attack on Hailroy Academy. As it was often pointed out, some of the brightest minds in the galaxy had gone to that school; there was even a special program that trained students to become Spectres. Udina reasoned that since Cira had survived, she must have some skills that would make her worthy of becoming a Spectre. He figured that if she could get a good teacher, she could learn combat easily and become the first Human to join the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance team. Only time would tell if that plan would work.

"Fine, I get it. I suck at fighting and I need practice, so if you are done organizing, would you be so kind as to show me around?"

Saren just huffed and set the rest of his items on the bed. He led Cira out of the room and down to the main training floor. It was a large circular room with a window for observers, nothing impressive. As Cira stepped in to investigate further, Saren opened a door that led into the control room.

"Go stand in the middle of the floor."

Cira obeyed, heading to the center and waiting for whatever was going to happen. Inside the control room, Saren activated a panel and presses several keys. On the training floor, a section of the ground near Cira slid open and a table rose up from beneath. On it were some headsets. Cira grabbed one and put it on. She felt two tiny pricks just in front of her ears and suddenly her body felt numb. She recognized the sensation from an experiment she and the other human students at Hailroy Academy had conducted. They had been testing new training equipment designed to link to the user's brain and simulate pain. For example, if in a training scenario, if the user got "shot" they would feel the pain without actually being wounded. If these headsets used that technology, Cira didn't like what would come next.

Saren's voice sounded out over the loudspeaker. "I will run a scenario. Your objective is to survive for five minutes."

"Don't I get any weapons?"

In answer, another table popped out of the ground. This one was carrying an assortment of small knives. Cira pursed her lips as she examined them.

"No guns then?"

If she only had knives, she wouldn't be able to kill anyone from a distance, unless she threw them. Cira sighed and picked up six knives, tucking four of them into her boots and sleeves, and thrusting two under her belt. When she finished, the table sank back into the ground and the lights dimmed.

The simulation began without warning. Sand began appearing around her, spreading outward until it reached the walls, then continuing, the walls being replaced with a light red-purple sky. There were a few boulders around her but other than that, Cira couldn't see anything. Wherever she was, it was hot. She wasn't even wearing armor, just civvies, and she had been in the simulation for only a few seconds but she was already sweating. Even if Saren didn't send any hostiles after her, she wouldn't survive five minutes in this heat without some way to keep herself cool. For now she settled on fanning herself which, of course, didn't do much.

Since she only had to survive for five minutes, she didn't have to wait long for hostiles to show up. Some kind of vehicle appeared on the horizon, moving toward her at an incredible speed. It came to a stop near her and a group of Turians climbed out, quickly surrounding her. The last Turian to get out of the vehicle seemed to be their leader. He entered the circle his men had created and stood before Cira, staring down at her.

"You've caused us a lot of trouble. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to keep you around. I guess we could leave you out here to die…"

He seemed to consider this for a moment then shook his head.

"You wouldn't survive long, but there is always a chance that someone else could find you before you died. It would be easier to just shoot you."

He unclipped his pistol and pressed it against Cira's temple. The girl dropped down before he could pull the trigger and rolled between his legs, popping up behind him and pulling one of her knives out of her belt. She noticed what appeared to be a damaged spot in the Turian Commander's armor, though what had damaged it, she didn't know. Cira aimed for that spot, jamming the knife deep into his shoulder. He screamed; or made some sound that probably was a turian scream, and swung his good arm back at her. She tried to dodge but his fist connected with the side of her head and knocked her into the arms of one of the other soldiers, who had been closing in, intending to grab her. He yanked her arms around until he got them both pinned behind her back. The situation reminded her of one she had been in when she first met Saren and she figured that she would try that technique again. She leaned forward to make enough space to swing her leg up behind her. The Turian that was holding her was shorter than Saren and not as strong. Cira's kick landed hard, knocking the soldier's head back and causing him to release her arms. Cira used the momentum created by her kick to spin around so that she was facing the Turian, who was still trying to regain his balance. Before anyone else could grab her, Cira took both knives out of her sleeves and lunged at the Turian, dragging the blades across the exposed skin at his neck. As he crumpled to the ground in a lifeless heap, Cira turned to face the rest of her attackers. Just as she did, one shot at her. She felt a sting in her forehead; only for a second, then everything went black.

Cira felt like she was floating. She was warm, like she was wrapped in blankets. There was no sound; nothing to see but endless darkness. Still, she felt calm, as if she knew that she was completely safe. Cira knew that this was just simulated death, made to calm one down after experiencing getting killed. She knew that she would wake up soon, back on the training floor, with Saren shaking his head and sighing at her failure. But oh, did she want to stay here. If this was what death was really like, Cira wasn't so afraid of it anymore. It was peaceful. It was…

Cira's hand shot up to her head. She ran her fingers over her face; no blood, no bullet wound. The sand was gone, replaced with the original walls of the training floor. In the control room, Saren was indeed shaking his head, disgusted at how badly she had messed up. Cira pulled herself to her feet.

"What was your main mistake?" Saren questioned her over the loud speakers.

"Letting them surround me."

"Wrong. Your first mistake was agreeing to go through Spectre training. But since we're past that, yes, letting them surround you was one mistake."

"And what were the others."

"You can figure that out on your own. Running next scenario."

"Want to give me some advice?"

"Don't die."

Cira flipped him off before the training room disappeared again and was replaced with a smaller room with no doors or windows. The only exit was a trap door in the ceiling but it was too high for Cira to reach. She was about to start tapping the walls in search of a weak spot when she noticed something in the corner. At first glance it seemed to be a large rock; large enough that she could stand on it to reach the trap door. Cira grabbed it and pulled but instead of sliding along the floor, it stood. Cira had never seen a Krogan without armor on but she had her own ideas of how they would look.

The half naked one in front of her was taller than Saren and being in a tiny room with him along with being tiny herself did not make for an ideal situation. To make things worse, her pulling on him had managed to piss him off. He roared, the sound bouncing off the walls and ringing in Cira's ears. She backed away as far as she could; only a few feet, and waited, ready to grab her knives if needed. The Krogan lumbered toward her stopping mere inches away.

"A little human? Must be lunch time; or fucking time." He laughed, a deep rumbling sound that Cira felt in the pit of her stomach. When he reached out to touch her, she stepped around him quickly, once again moving to the opposite side of the room. This only made him laugh harder.

"This cell is too small for a game of cat and mouse. Don't put up a fight and when I'm finished with you I'll kill you quickly; painlessly. How about it Human?"

Cira glared at him, taking a knife in either hand, she held them up in front of her. The Krogan only smirked at her.

"Have it your way filthy pyjak."

He lunged, swatting her hands to the side and trying to grab her neck. Cira ducked under his arm but he swung it backward, hitting her and knocking her into the wall. There was a dull _Clang_ as her head cracked against the cold metal. Stars danced in lazy circles around her and a stream of red warmth trickled from her forehead. For a moment, she forgot where she was as the pain numbed all of her senses. The Krogan roared again, startling Cira out of her daze. She raised her knives again and scanned her attacker's body; looking for a space in the thick natural plates that covered him. They seemed to be thinner around his neck and stomach; everything below that was hidden beneath some sort of cloth pants. Cira decided that it would be easier to go for his stomach since she would be able to put more force behind the attack.

They lunged at the same time; Cira with both knives poised in front of her and her Krogan companion with only his fists. That was enough for him. Cira's weapons hit their mark, sinking into him, but he would be a pitiful Krogan in he allowed that to stop him. He ignored the pain and got a hold on Cira before she could dodge again. She struggled in his grasp, attempting to pull out another knife but he tightened his grip and bashed her head against the wall. Searing pain shot down her spine at the impact. If her skull hadn't cracked before, it definitely had this time. He didn't stop though; he pulled her back and slammed her into the wall again and again until her tiny form went limp.

Back in darkness again. The warmth flooding through her. The only difference was a throbbing pain in her head. It wasn't too annoying though and Cira just closed her eye and relaxed, enjoying the floating sensation.

_The little drell boy stood perfectly still with his hands clasped in front of him and his head bowed._

_"This is Jarot. He's going to be your new playmate."_

_She got a lot of drell playmates._

_"Hi Jarot, I'm Cira._

_He said nothing, just stared at her feet. Suddenly he collapsed to the floor screaming and clutching his stomach._

_"Jarot? Jarot what's wrong? Jarot! Jarot!"_

"JAROT!"

Cira screamed, jolting out of her simulated death and shaking her head wildly. She was back in the training room; back in reality. Saren was staring out at her seemingly unconcerned, waiting for her to collect herself. She took a deep, shaky breath. The memory had come out of nowhere. It had been years since she had seen Jarot or any of the other drell friends she had. Why she would remember them now, she had no idea.

There was no time to wonder about that now. Saren had entered the training room and was stalking toward her. Cira glared daggers at him.

"When the hell would I ever be stuck in a tiny room with a half naked Krogan!"

He snorted. "Probably never, but it helps to be prepared for anything. As I thought, unless you have surprise on your side, you are useless in close combat so that is where we will focus your training. You will report here every morning at 0500. Training will go until 1200 at which point you will get a 2 hour break. Training resumes at 1400 and will end at 2100. You will only train in the mornings on Sunday."

Cira gawked at him. "That seems like a lot."

"This is Spectre training. If you have a problem with that you can catch a ride back to the Citadel. Tomorrow. Here. 0500."

With that, he stormed out of the training room, leaving Cira alone with her memories. She sighed, pulling up Jarot's face in her mind once more before heading to her own room. It was going to be a long six months.

**Please review. It really helps to know what people think of the story and it motivates me to write more and write faster. If I don't get many reviews, then I start thinking that not many people read the story so I can take my time. (hint, hint)**

**No, no, I won't hold chapters hostage, but I really do appreciate reviews. Thanks.**


	3. Chapter 3

Cira dodged around the flailing arms of the training robot to reach the switch on the back. She had been practicing hand to hand combat with the dummy on and off for a few hours; alternating between that and various strength training exercises, and she was exhausted. The robot went limp as she cut the power and she pushed it back into the room where it and eleven more dummies made their home. When she turned around, Saren had materialized behind her.

Even though he rarely stayed to watch her training, Saren always seemed to know when she had finished whatever task he had assigned her. He would appear out of thin air, give her the next set of exercises, and then disappear again. Cira had gotten used to it, but it still annoyed her that he wasn't helping much. Just some tips would be nice.

Cira wiped her hand across her forehead, brushing aside the few blonde strands that had come loose with all her twirling and dodging around the dummy. She was tired but it was only 2000; she had an hour of training left and Saren was going to make sure she used it to the fullest.

"I will run you through various scenarios applying the skills you've worked on today. You will attempt to reach a specific location, retrieve your objective, and return to your starting point. Understood?"

"Got it. Is there a time limit?"

"No."

"Really? Don't think I can handle it?"

He scoffed. "I know you can't." Cira rolled her eyes as he entered the control room and began setting things up. She grabbed a pair of the glasses and took her place in the center of the floor. Only an hour left.

"Come on. Did you really not see that coming? You're the one who didn't set a time limit."

Cira bent forward, bracing her arms on her knees. In sixty minutes she had gone through only one scenario. As a result of taking her time… she failed miserably; getting caught, stabbed, beaten, thrown in a cell and left to bleed out. If the simulated death hadn't been so peaceful, she didn't think she would've been able to keep doing this.

"I failed to realize that you would consider wasting time just to annoy me."

"Saren, after all this time you really don't know much about me. You know you could have pulled me out early. Might've even had time for another scenario."

He just scowled at her. "There is no 'getting pulled out early in real life. You finish the mission no matter the cost. If you don't want experience a slow or painful death, you move quickly and kill anyone who gets in your way."

"Well my mission was to irritate you so… I think I did a pretty good job."

"Remind me to congratulate you."

"I will."

He snarled but kept anymore comments to himself, choosing instead to take his anger out on a training robot. Cira made her way toward the door narrowly avoiding a collision with a couple of Turians coming into the room. She stepped around them, muttering a quick pardon before recognizing one of them.

"Nihlus! Didn't expect to see you here."

He starred at her for a moment before the memory came back to him.

"Cira? I think your presence here is a little more questionable."

"Yeah, I guess so. Saren's my teacher. Well he's supposed to be my teacher."

Nihlus laughed. "I know what you mean. I pretty much had to teach everything to myself and learn what I could whenever he did demonstrations."

"Wait, you got demonstrations? All I get is a growl and a list of exercises followed by a bunch of ridiculous virtual scenarios."

"Sounds like I got the royal treatment. How long have you been here?"

"A little over three months. According to my 'teacher' I haven't improved much."

The ridges where his eyebrows would be scrunched together in a look that Cira could only interpret as confusion. Though she still wasn't great at deciphering Turian facial expressions.

"I watched you fight in that last scenario. Seems to me that you've got a pretty good foundation. Better than most of the recruits I get."

It was Cira's turn to look confused. "I got caught. I spent 10 minutes in a cell lying in my own blood."

"Yeah but Saren had you up against some impossible odds. If that were a regular, real life mission, I think you'd do just fine."

"Just fine isn't enough for Saren. It's not enough for me either. I need to get into the spectres."

"Well, if you want some friendly advice, pissing off Saren isn't going to get you a recommendation. But neither is kissing his ass so what do I know?"

She considered that for a moment. He had a point but messing with Saren was just so much fun.

"You're right Nihlus. I mean, I am taking this whole thing seriously, it's just… he's so…"

"I get it. You have to lighten the mood somehow. But you shouldn't slack in your training just to toy with him. You're doing great so far and it would be a shame if you didn't make it into the spectres because you couldn't resist a bit of fun."

"Thanks Nihlus. Maybe you should be my teacher. I'd actually learn something then."

"Maybe you don't even need a teacher. All of those moves you used in the scenario? You taught those to yourself right?"

"Yeah. I don't need mister big bad Spectre to supervise me. I'd be just fine on my own."

They both were laughing now, thoroughly enjoying the joking. Cira was glad Nihlus was here and she wouldn't be stuck with Saren all the time anymore. Suddenly she felt the slightest tickly on the back of her neck. Nihlus felt it too and both of then jumped out of the way as Saren's fist swung through the spot where Cira's head had been.

The miss didn't faze him. He turned to face the now completely alert young woman and took a fighting stance.

"Umm, Saren…are you ok?"

"I simply wished to ascertain the reason you would assume you are better off without a teacher."

Cira backed away from him. "You know we were just kidding right?"

"Oh I know, but one could easily make the mistake of believing that you were serious. It seems I've been far to gentle with you during your time here, so assuming I have made such a mistake, allow me to 'demonstrate' how much you have left to learn."

An omni-tool couldn't save her this time. The big Turian lunged at her, throwing three quick punches. Cira tried to keep out of his way but the last punch hit her in the gut. She doubled over and her face was promptly introduced to Saren's knee. She was knocked backward, landing heavily against the wall and almost collapsing. Cira steadied herself as Saren advanced. She knew that there was a slim chance that she would actually beat him in a fight, but she had always wanted a chance to try to kick his scrawny pessimistic Turian ass; might as well give it all she had.

She dodged his next few attacks easily enough. Dodging was something she had gotten really good at over the last few months. But being able to go on the offensive was important as well so whenever she got an opening, she tried to land blow. The waist was a weak point for an unarmored Turian and Saren towered over her so she focused all her attacks on that area but Saren was even better at avoiding an enemy than she was and very few of her kicks made contact. The two continued exchanging blows for a while, with Cira landing a few hits and Saren landing a lot. She was going to have some serious bruises from this.

Cira was already tired from a long day of training and the initial adrenaline rush from Saren's attack had started to fade. Her movements slowed and Saren took the opportunity to grab her and pin her against the wall. He pressed his body against hers, completely restricting her movement then he pulled his arm back, winding up for one last punch. As his fist came forward, Nihlus stepped in, grabbing Saren's arm and holding him back.

"That's enough Saren. I think she gets the point."

The older Turian could barely contain the instinct to lash out against his former student and he had to take a moment to calm himself. When he was sure Saren wouldn't try to hit Cira again, Nihlus released him and stepped back, watching carefully in case he was needed again.

Saren turned his attention back to the woman he had pinned against him. She was looking at him with an expression that was almost expectant, like she was just waiting for him to try and hit her again. Why had he started fighting her in the first place? He hadn't wanted to fight her, he had wanted to…to what? His mind flashed back to his dream; the one he'd had when Cira had been on his ship. He still wasn't sure what to make of it and for the past few months, he had tried to keep it out of his thoughts. He had tried to ignore the subtle hints his body had been giving him. He had tried to ignore his feelings for her. No, he had no feelings for her. There was no reason for him to see her as anything other than a student.

She was still watching him with that intense gaze. It almost made him uncomfortable; him, Saren the council's best Spectre. Her eyes hadn't changed color though; they weren't gold or that piercing blue…

"Saren?"

He glared down at her, wondering what she wanted before he realized that while he had been lost in his thoughts, he had pressed closer to her and had been lightly rubbing a knee against her groin. He backed away from her, disgusted at his lack of control. Cira eyed him curiously as did Nihlus, though his look was more amused. He ignored his former student and addressed his current one.

"I was going easy on you yet you still couldn't beat me. You think that you're working hard but these last three months have been a waste. If you want a chance to be a Spectre I suggest you train even harder for the remainder of your time here."

With that, he stormed off wanting to shut himself up in his room and forget about what had just happened. For a moment, Nihlus and Cira just stared after him saying nothing, but after a minute, Nihlus turned to the human.

"Wanna hang out? This station has restaurants and this really great bar."

Cira was only partly listening to him. Saren's reaction had surprised her. She had been expecting him to be angry about the joking but not so…violent. And when he had her against the wall…

"I'm only 19 Nihlus; the human drinking age is still 21. I should go after him…"

"Just leave him alone for now. I learned the hard way that there is a point when he will try to kill you if you keep messing with him."

"He's already tried to kill me. Besides, I'd really like to know what his problem is…"

With that, Cira ran off in the direction of the apartments. Nihlus sighed and shook his head before heading to the bar.

A few minutes later, Cira stood silently outside Saren's door. She had no plan of action for facing him; she never did. So why was she so nervous now? She must have been standing there longer than she realized because Saren called out to her from inside.

"Are you coming in, or are you content to just stand there all night."

Cira hesitated a moment more before pushing the door open and stepping in. Saren was seated at his desk busying himself with cleaning his rifle. When he didn't acknowledge her entrance, Cira approached him slowly.

"Saren, what happened back there? Nihlus and I; we were just joking around and you… What made you so angry?"

He snorted, pushing his chair back so he could stand up but Cira moved closer until she was standing right in front of him.

"It's none of your concern."

She didn't resist as he pushed her aside and stood, but she didn't back down.

"You started attacking me; that makes it my concern. Why? You claim that it was to prove a point but I don't believe that. When you had me pinned, something…changed. You changed. I can't explain it."

He whirled on her, pushing her back until she once again found herself between him and a wall. She was tired of getting pinned but now wasn't the time to protest that. Saren got right in her face, keeping his voice low and menacing.

"There's nothing to explain. I simply wished to demonstrate how little you've learned in your time here. If you wish to spend your time entertaining some fantasy about my motives, leave me out of it."

He took a deep breath and collected himself before stepping back and returning to his rifle.

"If there is nothing else you wish to discuss then leave me alone."

This time Cira did as she was told. She hadn't gotten her answer, but like Nihlus had said, there was a point when even she had to stop bothering him. She left Saren to his work and went to her own room, then proceeding to throw herself on the bed in frustration.

"Why is he so…ugh!"

For ten minutes she just laid there staring at the ceiling, not sure what to do. Finally she sat up and reactivated her omni-tool.

**_You have pinged Nihlus K._**

**_Nihlus K._**_ What's up?_

**_Cira R._**_ I changed my mind. Still want to hang out?_

**_Nihlus K. _**_Sure. I'll pick you up in five minutes; give you a tour of the entire station. I'm sure Saren only showed you the training areas._

**_Cira R. _**_Yeah that sounds great. I'll see you in five._

Nihlus shut his omni-tool off. He had almost reached the bar but he would pick hanging out with Cira over drinking himself into oblivion any day. Besides, in his opinion Cira was an attractive young woman and the more time he spent with her, the more time he would have to flirt and work his magic. He wasn't sure if Cira felt the same way about Saren as he did about her but he intended to find out.


	4. Chapter 4

**IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE. PLEASE READ: Sorry for the lack of author commentary on the last chapter. I was in a hurry to get it published. I would like to remind my readers that I am trying to work on chapters but life happens and a lot of life is happening right now. Now for the important part. I SWEAR THAT UNLESS SOMETHING INCREDIBLY HORRIBLE HAPPENS TO ME THAT MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO CONTINUE WRITING, I WILL NOT ABANDON THIS STORY. It may take a while to post chapters and I may not have much time to work on them but the story of Cira and Saren will be completed, hopefully along with many other stories. Without further ado, Chapter 4...finally.**

With a satisfying click, the last piece of Saren's rifle snapped into place. He had just finished pulling it apart and cleaning it…for the fifth time. If he had been conscious of his actions he might have taken the time to clean his other weapons but his mind had been preoccupied, puzzling through the events of that evening. He wasn't sure why he had attacked Cira. Normally that kind of joking had no effect on him.

_Maybe it's because she was talking to Nihlus._

_Why would I care about that?_

_Because she seemed happy._

_And?_

_You like seeing her happy. But you weren't the one who made her feel that way._

_Nihlus…_

_Exactly._

_Then why didn't I attack him?_

_If you had, what explanation would you have given Cira? _

_I don't know._

_And that's why you attacked her. See? It's not so hard to figure out._

_I still don't see why any of this matters._

_You still haven't accepted your feelings?_

_I don't know what you're talking about._

_Oh really? Well alright… I wonder where Cira went after she left here._

_To her room. Where else?_

_Yes I'm sure that's where she is._

_You don't sound sure._

_I'm not. You should go check._

_That's not necessary._

_You're right. She's probably not there anyway._

_Ok is she in her room or isn't she?_

_How should I know? Maybe if you went and checked…_

_FINE!_

_Ok so she's not in her room… So what? She's probably looking around the station._

_Or snuggling up with a certain Turian… _

_So what if she's with Nihlus. If they get together then maybe you'll stop obsessing over these nonexistent feelings._

_Uh huh. Now what is it you really want to say…think._

_Just drop it._

_Alright…What do you think they are doing together?_

_Drop it._

_Do you think they're mating?_

_…_

_…_

_…I hate you._

_I know._

The station was a lot bigger than Cira had realized. She had already known about some of the restaurants. But there were so many other places that she hadn't seen. It made sense; Spectres came from all over to train at these facilities for months so there had to be stores that catered to the needs of all species. Nihlus had just finished showing her around the shopping district and now they were heading into a quiet little café. It was nearly empty, most of the station's inhabitants were probably at the bars by now, but both Cira and Nihlus appreciated the privacy.

They claimed a seat in the back corner and within moments, an Asari waitress appeared, took their orders and scurried back in to the kitchen. Nihlus leaned back in his seat, watching Cira as she examined her surroundings. The café was small and sparsely decorated but cozy. The atmosphere combined with an agreeable companion made Cira feel calm. Over the past few months she had spent most of her time training or in her room and she had always been anxious, wondering what Saren was going to put her through the next day but now, right now there was no training, no Saren. She was free to enjoy her evening with Nihlus.

She turned her attention back to her turian companion, feeling slightly embarrassed when she realized that he had been watching her so intently. Nihlus, realizing that his scrutiny was making her slightly uncomfortable, though not in a bad way, had mercy on her and broke eye contact first, choosing instead to hold her attention with conversation.

"I have to admit that I'm a little surprised Saren picked you to train. I mean, you are human, even if he worked with you before."

Cira just shrugged. "I guess he thought I had potential. Anyways, I don't really want to talk… about him."

The rest of her sentence trailed of when she caught a mischievous gleam in Nihlus's eye.

"Oh really? I have some pretty funny stories from when I was training with him."

That had Cira returning his grin with renewed interest.

"Seriously? I could use some new teasing material. It's fun to piss him off. Though he is still pretty mad right now."

"He has no reason to be. He'll get over it."

"I know. Go on and tell your stories."

An hour later, they exited the café. Nihlus had his arm draped around Cira's shoulders and they both were laughing hysterically as they headed back toward the apartments.

"And that's how I learned that I would not make a good assassin." Nihlus finished his story between gasping breaths.

Cira paused for a moment, sucking air into her lungs before replying.

"I can't believe Saren let you go in there alone. Actually, I can."

"Yeah that's just like him. What I can't believe is that he actually came in and saved my ass."

"I guess he thought you were worth the effort."

"We'll never know why Saren does some of the things he does. But I guess it's kind of fun trying to figure him out. You know, now that I think about it, you'd probably make a good assassin."

"Yeeeah, I think I'll just focus on getting into the Spectres so I can access their database."

"Is that why you're going through training."

Cira relayed the entire story about how Udina had pressured her to go through training and how she wanted to search for information on her parents. In to time, they were standing outside her door. As she typed in the code to unlock it, Nihlus rested his hand over her own.

"You know you could have just asked a Spectre to look for you"

"Which Spectre? I only know Saren and you; and to be honest, you weren't really on my mind at the time."

"Ouch. That hurt my feelings."

His face contorted into what Cira could only guess was the Turian equivalent to a pout; the sight of which brought forth a new wave of giggles. She quieted when Nihlus slid his hand up her arm and lightly gripped her shoulder.

"I don't think that you'll have any problems becoming a Spectre. Training is tough but you can handle it. Still, remember that if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. I'll do all I can to help you."

She looked down at the floor and her voice was quiet when she answered.

"Ok Nihlus. Thank you."

She felt him step closer to her. He was warm and Cira felt the urge to lean back into him and let him wrap his arms around her and hold her until all of her problems drifted off into space.

The sound of a door opening snapped her back into her senses. A little farther down the hall, Saren had just stepped out of his room. He glanced at them, his eyes narrowing to slits, then snorted turned away, storming down the hallway to his destination.

Cira sighed, turning her attention back to Nihlus and realizing that upon seeing Saren, she had unconsciously stepped away from Nihlus, who was now gazing at her with a look that was a mix of curiosity and amusement.

Cira scowled and before she could stop herself, stuck her tongue out at him. He starred at her in disbelief, and then burst into laughter. Cira finished unlocking the door and stepped inside.

"Good-night, Nihlus."

Before the door closed behind her, his hand darted out to snatch hers again and she turned back to take in his now serious expression.

"Good-night, Cira."

He squeezed her fingers gently before releasing her and heading in the direction of his own room. His retreat was halted however, when this time, Cira grabbed his arm.

"Nihlus…this thing, with my parents; it's something that I had wanted to handle on my own. But if I don't make it through training, if I don't become a Spectre, would you look for any information for me?"

He smiled warmly.

"Yeah, I will."

She returned his smile, gave him a quick appreciative nod and let go of his arm so he could continue down the hallway. Cira stepped all the way into her room and relocked the door behind her.

She yanked her jacket off and flung it over the back of a chair before collapsing onto the bed. Nihlus; he was nice, funny, good looking, and he seemed to like her.

_But what about Saren?_

_What about Saren? He hasn't shown any interest in me. We've been here for months._

_You haven't exactly shown any interest in him. Maybe he's afraid of being turned down._

_Please, this is Saren we are talking about. If he wants something, he takes it._

_We're talking about a relationship, not a new sniper rifle. He has a reputation of despising humans. If he does have feelings for you, he probably wouldn't want that to become public knowledge, nor would he want you to know how unless he was sure you felt the same way._

_Still that's all just an assumption. I'm pretty sure that Nihlus likes me._

_Then go for it, but if things go wrong, it's your fault._

_You're me so it would be your fault too._

_I am just a figment of your imagination that you created so you would have someone to argue with. Don't blame your problems on me. Oh and by the way, that sticking your tongue out thing, real classy._

_…I hate you._

_I know._

For the next couple of weeks, Cira and Nihlus constantly spent time together after their work was done and Cira had to admit that she liked where their relationship was heading. Flirting had escalated to more affectionate gestures; holding hands and cuddling. Nihlus seemed content to take things slowly and she wasn't going to argue with that.

On one particular day, Cira entered the little café that had become a frequent meeting place for the couple. As usual, Nihlus had arrived early and was waiting at the back table. As she approached, Nihlus stood to greet her, pulling her close and allowing her to kiss the plates around his mouth. Cira couldn't help but grin when his tongue flicked out for a quick taste. She stepped closer and drew in a deep breath. She couldn't identify his scent and there was nothing she could think of to compare it to but whatever it was it had a calming effect.

The waitress who had just arrived with their orders, coughed lightly to get their attention. Both the Spectre and the candidate turned on her, Nihlus looking apologetic and Cira just staring back, seemingly oblivious to the daggers being thrown from the other woman's glare. No one said anything as the waitress set the plates down and flounced back through the door to the kitchen. Nihlus came around the table to pull out Cira's chair before reclaiming his own seat.

"I ordered for you. Hope you don't mind."

Cira shook her head. "That's fine. What's up with her?"

"She wants to mate with me. She sees you as competition."

"Seriously? How did I not notice that?"

"She's been pretty discreet about it. Until just now."

Cira wasn't really all that surprised that another woman was after Nihlus. She already knew that he was attractive by Turian standards and incredibly handsome by Asari and Human standards. Still, she wasn't in the mood to be competing with other females for mating rights.

"Maybe we should start making out when she brings the check. Think that will get the message across?"

"That might work… but we'll deal with that when it comes. How's Saren been recently?"

"Umm…other than being a little more annoyed and annoying than usual, he's doing great. Why?"

"Just curious. I noticed that he's been keeping you busy for longer and longer each day."

"He probably still thinks that I need all of the training I can get."

"Right…"

His tone made her wonder if he knew something that she didn't.

"Is there another reason that he would be increasing my training time?"

"I don't know."

Just then Nihlus's omni-tool pinged to signal that he had received a message and he read through it quickly.

"It seems Raithius needs help with an emergency."

Cira grinned. She had gotten to know Nihlus's trainee during her time here and he had proven to be a great friend.

"What kind of emergency?"

"He didn't say. Sorry, I'm going to have to cut our date short."

"No problem. I can go bother Saren a little before getting some rest."

"That's a good idea."

They both stood up and the Asari, who had obviously been spying on them, darted out of the kitchen with the check. She held it out to Nihlus but Cira snatched it out of her hand before he could grab it.

"I've got this Nihlus. You'd better hurry before Raithius destroys the station."

He smiled and pulled Cira close, pressing his forehead against hers and running his hands up and down her arms.

"I'll talk to you later."

He released her and strode briskly out the door. Cira turned to the waitress, who was once again glaring savagely at her. Even though the whole make out session didn't happen, Cira was still sure that their final affectionate display had gotten the message across. She smiled politely and handed the Asari a credit chit before heading toward the door.

"Keep the change."

**As usual, hope you enjoyed the chapter. I can't sleep for some reason and I have chapter 5 all worked out in my head so maybe I'll start working on it now. Hopefully I can get it posted soon. Thanks for reading. COMMENTS ALWAYS WELCOMED AND GREATLY APPRECIATED!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! Finally Saren and Cira get some action! But that comes later. I'm doing a poll to see who actually reads these author's notes. Not that I would be mad if people don't, but I just want to know if I actually am talking to anyone. If not than I don't see a point in adding them to chapters. Anyway, If you read this author's note, please comment and say that you read the note. Thanks and enjoy chapter 5.**

Nihlus gazed lazily out of the window that overlooked the courtyard in front of the apartment complex where the Spectres and their trainees stayed while on the station. It turns out that Raithius's emergency had only been a missing assault rifle, though seeing that he was practically in love with that rifle, in his mind it probably would qualify as something that required Nihlus's immediate attention. Of course the spectre wasn't too happy about Raithius interrupting his date with Cira, but it was done and he decided that he might as well help out with the search. They hadn't found the gun. Even though this was a station for Spectres, there were still civilians and there was still crime. Most likely the rifle had been stolen. Eventually Nihlus had given up, advising a broken-hearted Raithius to file a report if he really wanted it back. It was pretty late by the time he had made it back to his own apartment, but he knew that even if he wanted to sleep, it would not come. There were too many questions in his head; too many scenarios, ways his little plan could backfire.

He had noticed immediately that Saren reacted to Cira differently than he did to other humans. He was still pretty unpleasant toward her but he was surprisingly tolerant of the behaviors he would normally find infuriating. If she were anyone else, Nihlus was sure that Saren would have taken her head off by now. The fact that he hadn't intrigued Nihlus and he wanted to know what was so special about her. A few weeks ago when Saren had attacked Cira, something had happened between them and for a moment, he could almost sense Saren's arousal, though that might have just been his imagination. He had to be sure so he began courting Cira in an attempt to get a reaction out of his former mentor. But Saren's self control was one of the reasons, Nihlus held him in high respect. The only proof that Nihlus had been able to get was that Saren seemed a little more irritated than usual, and that wasn't much proof at all. In one final effort to get a reaction, before he had left Cira that afternoon, he had placed a scent on her. It wasn't common knowledge that Turians often used scents to mark those they were associated with, mates for example. There were a variety of scents one could leave and the one that was now on Cira, was meant to alert any other male Turians that Nihlus intended to claim her as his bond mate. Saren had to react to that…right?

* * *

The six deep gouges were left in the top of the desk where Saren had just raked his talons across it. It had not been two minutes since Cira had passed his room and entered her own. Even with the walls between them, he couldn't help but notice that something was different about her scent. She smelled like Nihlus; it was his bonding scent that permeated the air. Saren jumped up from his seat and began pacing around the room, growling quietly.

_Why am I reacting like this? Why would I care what Nihlus's intentions were?_

_Because you want Cira. The thought of Nihlus bonding with her is infuriating._

_I do not…_

_STOP DENYING IT! You may be able to fool everyone else around you but I AM you. I know what you are thinking and what you are feeling and I know that you care about your little yellow fringed human._

_You think I love her?_

_You don't even know if you love her yet. How am I supposed to know. What makes me mad is that you know that you want to at least spend more time with her but you keep lying and making excuses to hide your true feelings. It's pathetic. If you can't even fight for her then maybe it's because you don't deserve her._

* * *

Cira sat on her bed tapping away on her omni-tool. Years of searching hadn't turned up anything on her parents and she wasn't likely to find anything now, but she had to keep trying. Jarot kept invading her mind; the drell friend that had disappeared so long ago. In fact, most of the friends that she'd had when she was young were drell and at one point or another she'd stopped seeing them around. Without getting access to the Spectre database, there wasn't much more she could do to find answers.

She shut the device down and dropped her head into her hands. Not knowing was killing her. Where had her parents gone to? Why had they just left her at Hailroy? The steady deposits into her bank account were enough to convince Cira that they hadn't completely abandoned her. But she hadn't been able to figure out where they were transferring the money from. Cira groaned into her palms wishing she had something to distract her. The door to her room slid open and she glanced up as her teacher entered.

"Saren, did you need something?"

He didn't hear her. He was too focused on her scent…Nihlus's scent. Saren let out an almost inaudible growl when he once again read the intent behind that smell.

_I thought you weren't going to interfere._

_I changed my mind._

_I knew you would. How do you plan on going about this?_

_I'll start by letting Nihlus know that he has some competition._

"Saren! I asked if you needed something." Cira was glaring at him. She definitely wasn't in the mood to be ignored. He still didn't answer, but he turned around and entered the code to lock her door. When that was finished, he moved closer until he was right in front of her. Brown eyes shifted from showing annoyance to confusion as they stared back into his blue ones. Cira opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again, deciding to let him figure things out in his head.

It took him a minute to decide what action to take, but finally he placed one clawed hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back until she was lying on the bed with her legs hanging off the side. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering what he came here to do, and not even daring to hope that it was what she wanted him to do.

_Wait…what do I want him to do?_

_You don't know? I've got a pretty good idea._

_Excuse me?_

_I mean, Nihlus is great, but we all know who you really want._

_We? We who? Whatever, that's ridiculous._

_You say that, yet you're getting all excited._

_I am not!_

_Keep telling yourself that._

Cira felt the bed dip slightly and her eyes flew open to find that Saren had placed one knee beside her and his hands on either side of her head. For the length of one heartbeat they watched each other before he slowly leaned down, shifting onto his forearms and bringing his face closer to her until their foreheads were pressed together. He scanned her features, looking for a reaction, anger, fear, anything. He relaxed a bit when her eyelids lowered to half closed and she mouth hung slightly open. He slowed his breathing to match hers, inhaling when she exhaled and vise versa. It wasn't exactly an awkward moment, and it wasn't exactly a romantic moment, but being like this made Saren feel peaceful, something he hadn't felt for a while. He was content to stay like this as long as Cira permitted him to, and it was then that he noticed that her eyes had changed color again. This time they were gold again, only there were flecks of green spread throughout her irises. The flecks seemed to form patterns in his mind, almost like tiny constellations in an amber sky.

"How do you do that?"

She blinked a few times, as if hearing Saren's voice had broken some sort of spell that had been cast on her.

"Do what?"

"Change the color of your eyes."

In an instant, the gold and green disappeared, as if the color had been sucked into her pupils, leaving a dark grey in their place, before exploding back out again, only this time her eyes were mostly green with golden flecks dotting them.

"My eye color? My eyes are brown; they always have been."

"Never mind."

She obviously wasn't aware of the changing colors that Saren saw. That or she was lying which, as far as Saren could tell, she had no reason to. Or Saren was just imagining the colors… Either way, Cira was now starring up at him, with an expression he didn't even want to try to read. It was clear that that moment of peace had been lost. Maybe it was time to abort the mission.

Saren pushed himself into an upright position and backed toward the door. Cira sat up and watched him retreat, looking slightly pissed off. Saren unlocked the door and it slid open before him, but just as he was about to step out, Cira called to him.

"Is that it? Is that really all you came here to do? Or are you just too much of a coward to follow through with your original plan?"

Saren froze, shocked at her accusation. It angered him that she had finally gotten brave enough to actually insult him, but what made it worse was that she was right. He had come in here for a reason; to let Nihlus know that Cira didn't belong to him and that she never would. Why was he running now? This kind of thing was easy when it was with Asari dancers, or stress relief with fellow soldiers, or even complete strangers. But Cira didn't fit into any of those categories. If he went through with the original plan, everything would change between them. Things wouldn't just go back to normal in the morning. He didn't move, trying to decide whether to stay or leave when he heard Cira sigh.

"I guess Nihlus was right."

Saren waited for her to continue but when she didn't, he went ahead and asked.

"Right about what?"

Cira stood up and planted her hands on her hips.

"He told me that you are afraid to care about anything or anyone. He said that you push people away to protect yourself because you don't want to get hurt again. He was right, wasn't he?"

Saren whirled around and stalked back into the room, allowing the door to slide closed again.

"That pup knows nothing about me."

Cira smirked, "He knows more than you realize. Who is really acting the pup right now?"

He snarled and lunged at her, knowing that he was only proving her point, but not taking the time to care. Cira didn't dodge, didn't try to deflect him. She simply let him shove her back onto the bed. He crawled on top of her, effectively pinning her down. She gazed up at him for a moment before bringing her hand up to rest her palm against his mandible.

"What are you so afraid of? What people will think of you if they knew you were with a human? That's none of their business and if it helps than we don't have to tell anyone. I'm tired of lying to myself and to Nihlus. I want you Saren, and if you want me, there is nothing stopping you so is there really any reason for you to run?"

He growled lightly, considering her statement. There were lots of reasons to run, but none of them mattered anymore. His path was chosen and he wouldn't turn back.

"No."

The young woman beneath him grinned and the hand that was resting against his face slid around to the back of his neck, pressing down gently and trying to pull him even closer. At first, he resisted out of instinct, but he forced himself to relax. This was happening, whatever 'this' was. The only thing he was still sure of was that there was no way he would let Cira lead; at least not easily.

He wound his talons into her hair and pulled lightly, forcing her to tilt her head back, exposing her neck. He leaned in and flicked his tongue out to taste the pale skin there. Cira sighed and settled in, content to let him control things for now. She knew that he needed the comfort of being able to keep things under control. Besides, they could work on dominance play later. He licked a trail from her collar bone to her ear then retraced the path nipping her gently. While this was going on, he kept his hands busy with pulling her shirt up. Cira pushed against his chest, signaling him to sit up so she could pull the tank top over her head and toss it on the floor.

Her bra came next. It clasped in the front and Saren had a difficult time undoing it with his talons. In the end, Cira had to get it herself to save it from being ripped off. Once those barriers were removed, Saren pushed her back down, running his tongue down her sternum and between her breasts. He had some experience with the fleshy mounds from the few Asari he had slept with, but he wasn't sure if humans were similar; he would find out soon enough. He slowly circled his tongue around one nipple while he pinched the other one lightly with his talons.

From the way Cira moaned and arched into his touch, he figured he was on the right track. Cira gazed at him suspiciously as he continued his ministrations.

"I didn't think you knew anything about humans."

"I don't. I'm working from my knowledge of Asari."

"Well that's not fair. I don't have any comparable experiences."

"Never tried Turian?"

"I wanted to; I just never got around to it. I don't suppose you'd be willing to educate me on Turian anatomy?"

"No. I'd like to enjoy that slight advantage for now."

"Asshole."

He continued playing with those hard little pebbles for a while longer, but when he began moving further down, Cira stopped him.

"I don't quite like being at your mercy. I put up with that enough during the day to let it happen in bed. Get off of me."

Saren growled deep in his chest. "I thought nothing was keeping me from taking what I want."

"The situation changed. Get over it. I know; why don't we cuddle. You've cuddled before right?"

When he didn't answer, Cira pushed against him, coaxing him onto his side. Cira turned so that she was facing him and they just stared at each other for a moment.

"Saren, you're supposed to put an arm over my waist."

"I could do that. Or I could finish what I was doing before."

"I don't want that. Not now anyways. If you try, I'll be forced to fight you off."

"An interesting idea."

"We'll file that away for another time."

"Agreed."

"Ahem… Arm, waist, cuddling. Get with the program Saren."

He did as she asked, draping an arm over her and pulling her closer. She rested her head against his chest and he instinctively tightened his grip on her.

Cira sighed contentedly. "I'll have to turn you into a proper lover."

"You can try."

She smiled, though he couldn't see. "Challenge accepted."

After that she was silent and a minute later, Saren could hear her breathing even out; steadied by sleep. He leaned his head forward to press his mouth plates against the top of her head. This definitely wasn't the original plan. That plan involved more writhing and moaning; mostly from Cira's end. No, this wasn't the plan.

But for now, it was enough.

**Sorry if that seemed rushed or crappy or anything. This is the second sort of sex scene that I have written so if anyone does read these author's notes, please, please review. This is the time to let me know if there is anything I can do to write this better. I don't want to be writing crappy sex scenes that nobody enjoys. Thanks and I hope you enjoyed !**


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